Robin of Moonacre Valley
by OneAsBeautifulAsYou
Summary: Robin Du Noir's POV of the movie that was made of A Little White Horse- The Secret of Moonacre. Read and Review! COMPLETED! SEQUEL OUT NOW!
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Little White Horse or The Secret of Moonacre. I also do not own Robin (I wish I did though) or any other character. Rated T for light swearing throughout the story._**

**_A/N: Just a quick note, In the movie, Loveday Minette was a Du Noir and Robin was her brother - not her son._**

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_Robin POV_

I grew up learning the legends of Moonacre Valley, especially that of the Moon Princess. My father taught me about the treachery of the Meriwether family and how they stole the Moon Pearls from our family - Du Noir.

When I was young, learned the reason of my birth. I have a sister, who is 20 years older than me. Her name is Loveday, and she had disgraced the family by falling in love with a Meriwether 3 years before I was born. Being a Meriwether, he broke her heart by rejecting her when she told him that she was a Du Noir. She came back to the castle, and father kicked her out. She moved somewhere in the forest, but father didn't know (or care) where.

I grew up in the forest and the seaside village of the Valley, along with the rest of the Du Noir clan. I learned to hunt and trap, and how to travel through the forest the way only a Du Noir could. One day when I was 10, I was wandering the forest, I came upon a little meadow. A lady was sitting in the meadow. I walked up to her with the intent on finding out why she was tresspassing on Du Noir land.

She greeted my with a smile. The first thing she said to me surprised me.

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_Flashback_

"Hello little brother." The lady said.

"Brother? I'm not your brother - I am Robin Du Noir, of the Du Noir clan."

"You are my brother, silly goose. I am your big sister - Loveday Minette Du Noir."

"You are my sister the traitor?"I asked her.

"I am no traitor. It is not a crime to fall in love." Loveday snapped at me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it. I was just repeating what Father said. He calls you a traitor if he ever mentions you." I apologized.

"That's alright, you don't know my side of the story." My sister replied.

"I'd like to." I said and leaned foreward eagerly.

"Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you." She said, laughing.

The next day I returned to the medow, half expecting the meeting with my sister to be a dream. It wasn't.

Loveday explained her, very sad, side of the story. She became one of my, no, my only friend. Everyone else was at least 5 years older than me and far to busy to be playing with a little kid. I had gotten used to being lonely. For the years following the first meeting I would sneak into the forest once every week to meet her in her medow. We would talk for about an hour and then I would sneak back into the forest and go back home.

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Robin, your father wants to see you." One of my father's men yelled. He had interrupted me while I was in the middle of setting a trap in the forest.

"Fine. Finish up here, will ya?' I answered, darting off into the trees before he could answer. I went to the castle, where I knew my father would be waiting for me.

"Robin, I have an assignment for you." My father said.

"Sure Father, what is is? Scouting out the Manor, fishing in the bay, trapping or hunting in the forest?" I said.

"No. This is a special assignment." Father said grimly. "A Meriwether in London has died. He, like the dog he was, left behind nothing but debt and ruin for his daughter - a Maria Meriwether. Your job is to watch, and capture, this Meriwether girl. She is very important - she is the new Moon Princess."

"Yes, Father." I answered

"The funeral for the Meriwether is tomorrow. Gather a group of men and then hurry up and get to London. You must stop the girl from reaching Moonacre Manor at all costs." My Father said urgently.

"It will be done." I promised.

* * *

In London - 5 hours later

"Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought." Robin muttered.

* * *

**_A/N: YAY! The first Secret of Monacre/Little White Horse fanfiction ever!! I hated the fact that in the movie Loveday wasn't called Loveday Minette, so I made Minette her middle name.- xox Sunny_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Little White Horse or The Secret of Moonacre. Rated T for swearing throughout the story.**_

_**A/N: Blah blah review blah blah blah...you know the drill**_

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Flashback

_"Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought." Robin muttered._

_Flashback ended_

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Robin POV

"Why the hell are there so many people here?? The man was a Meriwether for God's sake - everyone hates the Meriwether family." I ranted to the rest of the group.

"And the girl is at the centre of the crowd. How are we going to snatch her?" one of the men said.

"I'm going to see if I can get any closer to the crowd. Wait here." I said, sneaking off towards a pavilion behind a few trees. We were in the largest cemetery in London. The funeral was tracking place a few meters in front me, but I couldn't get close enough to the girl to snatch her.

I watched the girl for a bit, until she felt someone watching her and turned around. Her eyes met mine. Her governess called her, so she turned around, giving me the opportunity to get back out of sight. I could still see her, but when she turned around to look back at where I was standing, I was not there.

The funeral ended, and the Meriwether and her governess left in a carriage. They didn't go home, but instead went to a lawyer's office. The men and I decided that there was no way to get her that day, so we headed back to Moonacre.

My father was angry about my failure to capture her, until he heard my brilliant plan. To get into Moonacre Valley, you have to pass through the gates. To get through the gates, the driver must get down from the carriage and open them – a perfect opportunity to get the girl.

"You do not want to know what will happen if you fail me Robin" Father thundered.

"I will not fail Father. I swear." I answered.

"I hope not."

_

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_

2 hours later

"Come on men. They are about to come around the corner to the gate. Be ready." I whispered.

"Right, Robin."

The carriage came around the corner and pulled to a stop at the gates.

"Now!" I yelled, and we leapt into action.

We jumped down onto the roof of the carriage. I reached in one window and grabbed the girl. I started to tug her out the window of the carriage, but she fought back like a wildcat. I had her halfway out the window when she scratched me with something. I snatched my hand back in pain. It was bleeding from a large scratch on my hand.

The driver noticed what was happening and jumped back onto the carriage. He started to drive away, knocking me and the rest of the men off of it. We had failed. I was so dead.

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A/N: YAY! Chapter 2! Hope you liked it!- xox Sunny


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Little White Horse or The Secret of Moonacre. **_

_**Haley: SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm her friend!! And I am reading this!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH**_

_**Sunny: OKAY... Yeah... Review please!**_

_Flashback_

_We had failed. I was so dead._

_Flashback ended_

_Robin POV_

"Robin! You have failed me again. I gave you a simple task. all you had to do was snatch the Meriwether girl, the Moon Princess, but you couldn't even do that." Father thundered at me.

"I apologize Father. It will not happen again." I apologized, bowing my head.

"No. It won't. I will make sure of that."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Next time you attempt to capture the girl, I will come with you to make sure that the job gets done." Father stated harshly.

"But Father." I said, bowing my head. "If you give me one more chance, I will capture her, I swear."

"One chance. if you fail again, I will step in."Father said.

"Yes Father." I said. He left, and I began formulating my plan. I sent some men to spy on the girl. There had to be a way. There is always a way. I had to lure the girl into the forest so that I could snatch her.

_2 hours later_

"Robin, she's in the forest." One of my men came up behind me.

"Let's move men. This time we must not fail!"

_**Sunny: Chapter 2! Anyways, hope you liked it! xoxo**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. *pout***_

_Flashback_

_"Let's move men. This time we must not fail!"_

_Flashback ended_

_Robin POV_

"There she is." I whispered, "Be ready."

"Oh, you poor little thing. Who did this to you?" The girl said, kneeling down by the rabbit trap that we had set up an hour earlier. "Now, how do I open this?"

"Now!" I whispered, and we walked out into the clearing. Whe we stepped out of the trees, she looked around at us in alaram. I couldn't resist taunting her a little before we captured her.

"One trap, two catches." I said, smirking.

"what do you want?" she asked me.

"That's girls, catch an animal and they can't resist coming to help." I said, walking up to her. Surprisingly, she wasn't as scared as I thought she would be.

"I know what you are." She said confidently. "You're bandits and plunderers."

We laughed at that comment. The Du noir clan is not made up of petty criminals and highway robbers. It is of noble bloodline, and anyways, the Meriwethers are the thieves. They stole the Moon pearls from the First Moon Princess – a Du noir.

My men tried to grab her, but she fought then, kicking and punching. I went to help and her from behind. She turned on me, punched me in the chest and tried to pull away. I grabbed her wrist to stop her from escaping.

"You!" she said, catching sight of the scratch she had given me when I tried to kidnap her from her carriage. She stared at the welt across the back of my hand.

"You're coming with us now." I told her, "My father's just 'dying to make your acquaintance'." I mocked her by repeating an edited version the greeting that she had given her uncle. I had had my men watching her from the minute she reached the manor, waiting for the moment to strike.

All of a sudden, the bird that we always brought on our trips through the forest called, warning of an attack, as it was trained to do. A giant dog burst through the trees, barking. It had coal black fur and blood red eyes. It looked like a hellhound. He knocked over one of my men and sent the rest running away in fear.

"Demon dog! Robin, let's get out of here!" they screamed.

I stood my ground for another minute. The dog barked at me and growled. It lunged, and I ran for my life.

_**A/N: Wow! 2**__**nd**__** chapter in one day! I'm on a roll! Hope you liked it!- xox Sunny**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I think I've been through this – I own nothing. *double pout***_

_Flashback_

"_It__ lunged, and I ran for my life.__"_

_Flashback ended_

_Robin POV_

We ran for a while before stopping. The bird flew to my shoulder. I can't believe after everything I went through to capture that girl, I failed. Again.

"Bloody hell." I swore." Perfect. Just bloody brilliant. Now, on top of everything else, she has a bloody demon dog protecting her! Father's gonna kill me."

Just then I heard thundering hooves, and one of my men shouted "It's your father Robin."

"Speak of the devil, adn the devil shall appear." I muttered under my breath.

My father looked down on me from his horse. He was very angry.

"What did I do to deserve such a prize dolt for a son?" he asked before riding off again into the forest.

My men and i moved back into the forest, towards the castle. Why the hell couldn't this have been the easy job my father described? Go to the funeral and grab the girl, end of story. But no, the girl had to fight back every step of the way. I didn't expect that from her, a stupid, good-for-nothing Meriwether. What girl fights back? Girls aren't supposed to do that!

By the time I finished ranting to myself about the idiot Meriwether girl, we had reached the castle. Father was waiting for a full report on the mission.

"Well Robin?" he said, "Why didn't you manage to capture Maria Meriwether this time?"

"Who's Maria Meriwether?" I asked, honestly confused. I hadn't paid much attention to my father when he talked to me about the mission, so I had no clue who he was talking about.

"The girl, idiot. The girl I sent you to go and capture!" he yelled.

"Oh. About that…"

"You failed me. AGAIN! What was it this time? Was the girl too tough for you to capture Robin?" My father was furious.

"No Father. But she was being guarded! By a demon dog." I protested. "It was huge, and black. It had red eyes and looked like it was possessed."

"A dog, Robin. You couldn't capture the girl because you were scared of a DOG?" My father asked, his voice getting louder and louder until he was shouting. "You will be doing patrols of the forest for the rest of the year! You are a complete and utter failure. Leave. Now."

"Yes Father." I said, fuming inside but knowing better than to talk back to my father when he was in a bad mood.

I left the castle, running into the forest to where I knew Loveday would be.

"Loveday!? Where are you?" I asked when I reached the place we always met.

"Right here Robin." She said, "What is it?"

"Fathersentmetocapturethemeriwethergirlbutididntsonowhesmadatme!" I said in a rush.

"Robin, slow down. I can't understand a word you're saying." She laughed.

"Father sent me to capture the Meriwether girl who just came to Moonacre Valley but I didn't, so now he's mad at me!" I said slowly.

"Good." Loveday said firmly.

"Good?? It's good that father is angry with me?" I said incredulously.

"No, but it is good that you didn't capture her." Loveday said. "She will play a big part in the future of the valley. She has a great destiny."

"Whatever." I said "Why are you so interested in her anyways?"

"No reason. Robin, you should be heading back. Father will be looking for you."

"Fine. I'll come and visit again soon." I said, already moving back into the forest. I took a shortcut back to the castle. At the castle, Father was furious still. When he saw me, he sent me out on patrol.

As I walked, I found my thoughts turning to the Meriwether girl – Maria. My conversation with Loveday came back to me, and I found myself puzzling over what Maria's destiny was.

Maria was different than other girls. I knew of no other girl who, when faced with who she thought were bandits and plunderers, fought back instead of screaming for help.

I thought about her the entire time I was patrolling. I remembered her eyes as she had stared defiantly at me, flashing with anger and determination. For some reason I couldn't stop thinking of her.

_**A/N: Chapter 5 already! Wow! This is the longest story I've ever written! Hope you liked it! xox Sunny**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer:I own nothing. *double pout***_

_**A/N: I currently am a very disappointed fangirl… Sisters Grimm book 7, The Everafter War, was supposed to come out on Friday May 1, but it didn't!! It's still not even available in stores in Canada!! How messed up is that?!?! I had been waiting for it forever, and then it didn't come out! …And when I finally got it, I got grounded and my dad took it away!! I have it now and I read it. It was so good! I laughed, and I cried – seriously. Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**_

_Flashback_

_I thought about her the entire time I was patrolling… For some reason I couldn't stop thinking of her._

_Flashback ended_

_Robin POV_

I'm sitting in a tree, remembering the events of yesterday. I was still thinking about Maria. I tried to stop, but I keep remembering her eyes flashing with anger and her chin lifting in defiance. Then, Father called me to the castle. Apparently he wanted me to think of some sort of a great plan to capture the ever elusive Moon Princess, or he would. His plans never failed and, for some reason, this worried me.

_Flashback_

"_Robin, since you seem incapable of capturing the girl, I have devised a plan. We will lure her into the forest and then go into the forest and surround her. We will leave no possible chance of escape. I, unlike you, do not fail." Father said"_

"_Yes, Father." I replied, looking at the floor._

"_Good." Father said, and then went to prepare the men._

_End Flashback_

"Robin, your father wants you. It's time to eat dinner." One of my father's men shouted at me.

"Coming." I said, already climbing down from the tree I was sitting in. I went to the Great Hall, where my father was waiting. I sat down beside him at the table.

In the middle of a feast, Inspiration struck.

"Father, I've prepared a plan to snatch the girl from under their roof." I said, leaning over to speak with my father.

"Don't go near Moonacre, that house is damned. Now, word is, she's about to meet her downfall." Father said. He looked up at the balcony. Maria was standing on the balcony, in the doorway that led from outside. Suddenly, two of the guards came up behind her and grabbed her.

"Let go of me." Maria said to the guards who were dragging her down the stairs from the doorway on the balcony

"How kind of you to join us Moon Princess" my father said to the struggling girl on the ground below him. Maria stared up at him defiantly, yanking one of her arms free from the guard holding it, and reached up her hand - palm up.

"Now what is this? She has brought us the lost key gentlemen, because the terrible Du Noir's have had the Moon pearls hidden up here all the time. Haven't we?" Father taunted

"Well, It's true, isn't it?" Maria retorted "your ancestors stole them."

"My ancestors? Father said, grinning, "Well perhaps, Princess, I should introduce you."

I took Maria from the guards, holding her thin arm in my hand, and brought her over to my Father, who was standing by the tomb of Sir William.

"Maria Merriwether, the last Moon Princess" Father said, turning to the girl,

"Sir William." He said, gesturing to the tomb. I forced Maria down into a bow.

"The very first Coeur du Noir." Father said gravely. I let go of Maria, and she stood up. My father reached behind him, and took the box that should have held the Moon pearls.

"The pearl casket" Maria whispered in awe

"And you so very kindly brought us with the key." My father said, moving to put the key in the keyhole. Instead of turning the key, he dropped it.

"Oh" Father said, and opened the box anyways. It was empty, just as it always had been.

"They were never there!" Father snarled "Your filthy Meriwether family took them, before He took the box" Father said, pointing to the tomb of Sir William.

"They stole the pearls, but soon the final moon will rise, and the thieving Meriwether's will be punished." Father proclaimed. I smirked. "And now that we have you here there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. At last, the entire valley will be ours. And the Du Noir's will finally feast upon revenge." Father continued

I was still smirking, except now I looked over at Maria, and my eyes couldn't be drawn away from her face, flushed with anger and indignation. I couldn't see even a trace of fear in her eyes. Father motioned for me to take her away, so I did. I grabbed her arm again and dragged her out of the Hall. I pushed her ahead of me as we walked the dark, gloomy halls of the Du noir castle, heading for the dungeon. We passed various guards and cells, most of them empty. We reached the end of the hall and Maria wrenched out of my grasp. She whirled on me, eyes blazing

"Leave me alone, you oaf!" She exclaimed. I laughed, highly amused by the fact that she was still fighting, even though she was clearly outnumbered and surrounded.

"You know for someone in your predicament, I have to admire your spirit." I told her, still laughing. She got even angrier at that, her face flushing even more than it was already. She kicked me hard, in the shins. It really hurt – so much so that I doubled over in pain. My men were laughing at me behind me.

"Witch!" I said, enraged, grabbing her. "I wouldn't say that If I were you Robin", one of my men said behind me. I pushed Maria through the doors and shouted to the guards to lock her in.

"Welcome to your new home, love." My men said, laughing and joking. "You can make friends with the cockroaches." Maria stared through the door at me, but I just waved and turned around, walking away with my men. "Guards watch her, she's tricky." I shouted over my shoulder.

_**A/N: Chapter 6! YAY! Hope you liked it! xox Sunny**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Surprise!! I'm totally bored, and should really be studying for my Math exam, but I couldn't resist writing another chapter. After seeing the full movie, I was totally inspired and wrote another two long chapters, which I am now posting. Hope you like them!  
- Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_Flashback_

"_Guards, __watch her, she's tricky." I shouted over my shoulder…__"_

_Flashback ended_

As I walked away from the cell, I could feel Maria's eyes boring into my back. I had a sudden urge to turn around, run back and let her out of the cell, but I forced myself to keep walking.

As soon as I was out of the dungeon, I bolted for my room. I sat there, thinking. Most of my thoughts were centered on Maria. I was stunned that she had dared to come into the castle of the Du Noirs

Hours later I heard a commotion coming from the basement. It sounded like pounding feet and shouting. I ran down towards the source of the sound, the shouts getting louder as I ran.

"Come back you little minx! She's escaping!"

"Get her."

From what I could tell from the screams, the stupid guards had let Maria escape. I ran to help them recapture her. We chased her around the castle. I ran ahead of the others, desperate to find her. We finally managed to corner her on the castle wall.

"Princess. What are you going to do now?" I laughed, thrilled that we had finally managed to capture her. Maria jumped up onto the wall. She looked down at the steep drop behind her and fell, screaming.

I bolted, running to try and reach her before she got to the forest. The only thing that went through my mind was "Shit, my father's going to kill me". My men and I ran after her, but she reached the forest before us.

After running after her for a while, we lost sight of her. We reached a log, but all we could see behind it was forest – no girl.

"She can't have come this far. Turn North." My men obeyed, turning and running North. We ran for a while with no sign of her. We came to a clearing in the forest. My father was already there, furious.

"I want her killed" Father said "I won't let her stop the curse. Their death is our victory."

"Stupid girl. You should've stayed where you were." I muttered to myself, thinking of Maria. I was desperate to find her before my father. At least if I found her, she wouldn't be killed.

We started running again. After a while, one of my men called me. He had found her hair ribbon. "Come on." I shouted, running faster. We were hot on her trail, I could tell. We ran and ran, but we couldn't find her.

Eventually we made our way back to the castle. My father had lost her too, because of that demon dog. I was right, he was angry.

He yelled at me for about an hour about my irresponsibleness, purposely ignoring the fact that I wasn't the one who let her escape the dungeon cell in the first place.

Father then punished me. Harshly. No raids on the village for a month, and the only jobs that I was allowed to do was patrolling and checking the traps – the two most boring jobs ever.

I was furious, but I knew better than to argue with my father when he was angry. On the pretence of going patrolling, I slipped into the forest to go and see Loveday. She had long ago shown me where she lived, so I went there and knocked on the door.

Loveday came to the door and let me in. I started talking to her as soon as I sat down.

"Loveday, you will never believe what happened!" I said to her, quickly filling her in on what had happened.

"I know." Loveday said. "I'm glad Maria managed to escape. I felt so bad just leaving her there and running, but I swore that I would never go back there."

"What are you talking about Loveday?" I asked. She told me that Maria had come and visited her, and that she was the one who had showed Maria where the castle was.

"Maria is a very sweet girl." Loveday said, eyeing me out of the corner of her eye.

"I wouldn't know." I said, turning my head. I could feel my cheeks heating up from her all seeing gaze.

"Ooh! My little brother has a bit of a crush, does he?" Loveday teased.

"No I don't!" I said, blushing even more. This was ridiculous; Du Noir's don't blush! Especially not about girls.

"Tell me Robin," Loveday said. "Have you been having a hard time getting her out of your mind?"

"Yes." I said "Nut only because I've never met a girl like her before. She is brave and not weak like most girls, except you, and...and..."

"Robin! I think from what you've just told me, that I can come to the conclusion that you do indeed like our little Moon Princess!" Loveday said delightedly.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" I asked my sister who was giggling like an idiot.

"It's just so cute! The always-tough-and-manly Robin having a crush on a girl. Especially Maria!" Loveday laughed.

"that's it, I'm leaving if all you're going to do is sit there acting like an idiot." I said, already standing up and moving towards the door.

"No, stay, please Robin. I'm sorry." Loveday pleaded, stopping laughing.

"I have to go, but I'll come back and visit again soon." I said.

"Just remember Robin. If it ever comes to a decision between your duty and your heart, choose the one that feels right." Loveday said, suddenly serious. I could tell that she was thinking about that Meriwether dog, so I gave her a kiss on the cheek and promised that I would try.

I walked slowly back to the castle, and went straight to bed – not even stopping for dinner.

The next morning, Father sent me out to check on the traps. He was in an uncharacteristically good mood. I asked him why, but all he said was that tonight was the night, and sent me on my way.

I walked to the traps, checking each one. All of them were empty except for the one closest to Moonacre. In that trap, there was a small rabbit. I walked over to it, and as I did, I felt someone's eyes watching me. I stopped, looked around, and was surprised to see Maria step out from behind a tree. She looked beautiful.

I shook the thought from my head, and said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Princess, giving yourself up. How good of you." I said as I pulled my knife from my belt. Then I noticed something strange. Maria was smiling, and laughing.

She reached down and pulled a rope. I was sent flying into the air as my feet were pulled out from under me and I was flipped upside down. Maria was still laughing.

"The great trapper, trapped!" She said, stooping to pick up my knife from where it had fallen out of my belt and to the forest floor.

"Let me down, you little witch!" I shouted at her, furious.

"Certainly" she said, moving to cut the rope and deposit me on the ground on my head.

"No, don't you dare!" I said to her threateningly.

"No," she said, fake surprise lacing her voice.

"Oh, oh, my foot." I screamed in pain. The rope was cutting into my skin and it hurt like hell.

Meanwhile, Maria had knelt down and pulled the rabbit from the trap. She whispered something to it, kissed it on the head, and set it on the forest floor.

"Please." I pleaded to Maria. She walked away, but I shouted for her to wait.

"Wait! This is really hurting, I can feel my head swelling." I begged her.

"Oh no, it was like that before." Maria said, walking back towards me. "I will let you down if you do one thing for me."

"What?" I asked her.

"Just promise you will listen. Say i promise." Maria said "Just say it!"

"I promise." I said, "Alright, you beat me, now let me down!" and with that, Maria cut the rope.

'Very well" she said, and I fell on my back. As I lay on the ground, the demon dog from earlier came bounding into the clearing. I got up and tried to run, but Maria was pointing my own knife at me and the demon dog was growling.

"What about him?" I asked Maria, pointing to the huge black monster in front of me. Maria patted him on the head before saying "You're a Du Noir. He very probably _will_ hurt you."

She tossed my knife at my feet, and I picked it up. I sat down on a nearby log and put my hat, which had fallen off when I was caught in the trap, back on.

"I'm listening." I said, turning around to look at Maria. I was surprised again by her size. She seemed way too brave, and dangerous, to be so tiny. We were the same age and I was nearly two or three inches taller than her.

Maria explained that she is the last Moon Princess and that, unless she finds the Moon pearls by moonrise, the entire valley will be destroyed. She also said that she wanted me to help her find them. I waited until she was finished, and then started walking away.

"Goodbye." I said.

"Robin, please!" Maria pleaded with me.

"I promised that I would listen. Well, I have." I said, turning away again.

"Robin, you have to help me. You have to." Maria said. I whirled around and grabbed her shoulders.

"You are a Meriwether." I said back. The dog barked, and I let go of her shoulders."Right now, I ought to kill you." As I said that, I felt a sharp pain go through me. It felt like my heart was breaking.

"Kill me and the entire valley dies with me!" Maria said "You and I can stop it and we only have until moonrise. Tonight." She walked away.

I was torn my duty was telling me one thin, and my heart was telling me another. My heart was telling me to help Maria, but my duty was telling me to kill her. I remembered my conversation with Loveday, and what I had promised her.

"I'm still listening." I said, turning after her. Maria started walking into the forest and I followed her.

_**A/N: Chapter 7! Hope you liked it! - xox Sunny**_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Surprise!! 2****nd**** chapter in one day!! Enjoy! - Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_Flashback_

"_Maria started walking into the forest and I followed her…__"_

_Flashback ended_

After walking for a while, I veered off in a different direction and tied Maria's ribbon, the one from my pocket, around a tree branch. I had found the ribbon the last time I was chasing her through the forest, and had kept it in my pocket ever since.

"What was that?" Maria asked me suspiciously

"A false trail." I said, pointing back to where the ribbon was.

"What were you doing with one of my ribbons in your pocket?" Maria

"Nothing." I said, looking away quickly.

"Sure. I believe that." Maria said, smirking. Damn her and her perceptiveness.

We walked a while longer before I finally realized something.

"Where are the pearls supposedly hidden, anyways? Are we just wandering around in circles or do you actually know where you are going?" I asked Maria.

"They're in a tree somewhere. But it's very distinctive. It has massive roots twisting around a big, dark hollow" Maria said "And-"

"I know where that is." I interrupted, looking down. "Suppose, for a moment, that I do decide to help you. And, suppose for a moment that we do actually manage to find the pearls. What then?"

"Well, we return the pearls to the sea and then we go -" Maria replied hesitantly.

"You know my father's coming after you?" I replied.

"It's just a matter of finding them before he finds me" Maria said, looking away from me.

"Hmm." I said "Fine. I'll show you the way to the tree." We continued walking in silence. A few minutes later, I spoke again.

"It's through the clearing over the next hill." I said. The demon dog, Wrolf, ran on ahead.

"Wrolf?" Maria shouted after Wrolf, worried about the demon dog.

"We're not far now." I said.

"Wrolf?" Maria shouted, sounding even more panicked. She walked ahead of me into the clearing. I was about to follow her when I was captured by his father's men. They grabbed me and pulled me behind a tree, holing a hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream.

"Robin?" Maria asked, turning around.

I struggled against the man holding me, but I couldn't get free. Maria walked toward the tree behind which the men are hiding, calling me. I tried to warn her, but the man was holding over my mouth and had a knife pressed to my throat. Just then I heard Wrolf bark and yelp, like he was in pain, but the sound was far away.

"Wrolf?" Maria asked, her voice trembling "Wrolf?" She walked hesitantly away, looking for Wrolf. I breathed an internal sign of relief. She walked out of the clearing and back into the forest.

"Let's go boy." My father's men said to me, taking away my knife and putting me in a headlock. They dragged me off into the forest, taking me to a clearing a short way away. Wrolf was there, caught in a trap, but luckily Maria was not.

All of a sudden, my father rode into the clearing with some of my men. He was furious beyond belief.

"Oh, this is pretty." Father spat at me.

"Father, let me explain" I begged him. I knew that my punishment would be the worst that I had ever had.

"Is it not enough for one member of my family to betray me? Now I find that her brother is a traitor too." He looked at me like a bug that he was about to crush under his feet.

"I will take care of this _Princess_ myself. Once. And for all." He growled in my face.

I felt sick to my stomach. He would find her, and he would kill her, I knew it. The men let go of me and followed my father out of the clearing. I had to find some way to stop them from hurting Maria.

Two of my own men, who must have stayed behind, grabbed me by the arms. I struggled, trying to get loose. The only thought that filled my mind was Maria. I knew that I had to find her before my father did.

I struggled with all my might. They knocked off my hat, and were trying to tie me to a tree, when I heard a shot ring through the forest.

"Maria!" I screamed. I tried again to get loose, struggling as hard as I could. My uncle, my father's main man, walked up to me a yanked back my head by the hair. Wrolf somehow managed to get free from the trap and bounded towards the men, barking and growling.

"It's the demon dog!" the men screamed, forgetting about me. "Get back" they said, dropping my knife and backing away. I grabbed the knife and stood up. I looked at them once, and then ran away, following where I knew the sound of the gunshot had come from.

"Wrolf! We have to find Maria!" I shouted. Wrolf immediately followed me, running through the forest. Another shot rang through the forest, this one from behind me. I ducked instinctively, turning around to see what had been shot by my uncle.

There was no sign of Wrolf anywhere. I shouted for him, but there was no answering bark. Suddenly I heard a scream. Maria.

I left Wrolf and ran as if my life depended on it. No. I ran because Maria's life depended on it. There was no doubt in my mind that my father would kill Maria. I heard Wrolf whining behind me, but Maria was still screaming, and I couldn't let her die.

I ran until I reached a split in the trail. I took the right split, knowing that that was where I had last heard screams from. I rounded the corner and smashed into someone. It was Maria. She seemed shocked and a little bit angry too.

"You?! How could you betray me like that?" she shouted, her voice hoarse from all of the shouting. She slapped me in the face. I grabbed her hand before she could hit me anymore.

"Maria, wait." I said to her, swinging her around behind me. I turned on my father, pushing him up against a tree, and pressing my knife to his throat.

"I will not let you take her, Father." I said grimly.

"Put the knife down, boy." Father said, just as grimly.

"Father, please. You have to listen to what Maria has to say." I said, my voice rising until I was shouting at him.

"Traitor." Father spat at me. "You are nothing to me now." I stared at him, furious. I kept my knife to his throat until I suddenly pushed him away, grabbed Maria and started running.

"Go" I screamed to her, and Maria ran as if her life depended on it. It did. I stopped and let Maria pass me, putting my knife away before running again.

"I'll know where to find you again," Father said "Back where it all began."

_**A/N: Chapter 8! Hope you liked it! - xox Sunny**_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Surprise!! 3****rd**** chapter in one day!! I couldn't resist posting this one too. Enjoy!  
- Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_Flashback_

"_I'll know where to find you again," Father said "Back where it all began."_

_Flashback ended_

"Come on, they're right behind us!" I shouted to Maria. We hadn't been running for long before my uncle and a few other men had caught sight of us and began chasing us again.

We ran into the clearing with the tree. Maria ducked down and slid into the hole in the roots.

"In here" she huffed, out of breath. I went into the hole too, and followed Maria down a dark tunnel. I could hear the men outside, wondering where we had gone.

"Robin, look at this!" Maria whispered, directing my attention away from the entrance to the tunnel and towards a door at the end of the tunnel. She pushed the door open, and we walked through it.

We were in a little bedroom. It was dirty and dusty, and the roots of the tree had grown all over the place. There was a statue of a woman in the corner, and a box at the foot of the little bed. The room must have belonged to the first Moon Princess at one point.

Maria immediately set about looking for the pearls. She looked in the box at the foot of the bed, and then moved towards a wall. She put her hand on the top of a little figurine of a horse, and it moved. A little door appeared in the hearth, leading out of the tree and into some stone passage.

I ducked my head and went to inspect the passage. Maria had turned around, so I backed out of the tunnel and followed her. She reached out a hand and pulled something off of the statue of the woman in the corner of the little room. She whirled around and showed me what she had found.

"The pearls!" I exclaimed. I looked at Maria in delight, and she looked back at me. Our eyes met, and I couldn't look away. All of a sudden the mood was shattered when we heard a shout of triumph from the entrance to the tunnel. They had found us!

I ran to the door and blocked it. I knew the rotten wood wouldn't hold for long.

"Robin, let's go!"Maria said in a panic. She was already in the stone tunnel in the hearth. I followed her, closing the stone tunnel behind us, and not a moment too soon.

From behind the wall, I could hear the men burst into the room, expecting to find us.

"Witch-trap! They yelled. "I don't believe this!" they ran out of the room and back up the tunnel. Maria motioned for me to follow her, so I did.

The stone tunnel was even darker than the first tunnel had been.

"It's so dark in here." I whispered to Maria. She could have nodded in agreement, but it was so dark that I couldn't see.

"Moon pearls" she whispered, "We need your power now. Show us the way." All of a sudden, the tunel glowed with an eerie light. It was coming from the Moon pearls.

I hit my head on the roof of the tunnel and made a noise of pain.

"Robin, shh." Maria said, putting a finger to her lips.

We kept walking through the tunnel, using the light from the pearls to guide us. The tunnel curved and split at many points, but Maria seemed to know where she was going. We had been down there for what seemed like hours, but had probably only been a few minutes.

"We're lost." I complained to Maria. She ignored me and kept walking.

"Maria." I said, but she just shushed me saying "Robin, come on." Maria suddenly stopped in the middle of the tunnel and smiled.

"Don't you see?" She asked me "She's showing us the way." I looked where she was pointing, but I saw nothing but a dark tunnel. Evidently, she was seeing something different from what I was seeing.

At last we reached the end of the tunnel. There was another door in the wall. I pushed it open. Maria went out the door, and I did too, walking out of the tunnel cautiously. What I saw shocked me beyond all belief.

My father was standing in the middle of an amphitheatre. The same amphitheatre in which it all began Father was fighting with Maria's uncle.

Maria ran forward yelling "Stop!" She ran down the stairs to where my father and her uncle were. I followed her.

"Uncle stop!" She yelled.

"Father, we've got them." I shouted. Maria held out her hadn, showing everyone the pearls.

"Give me the pearls!" my father said to Maria, making a grab for them. She yanked her hand back.

"Those damn pearls." Maria's uncle said "They've brought us nothing but heartache and grief."

"No uncle." Maria said to Sir Benjamin. "It is not the pearls but the greed in our hearts that brings us this misery. Everyone stared at her. All of a sudden, another voice rang out over the amphitheatre. I looked up to see my sister, Loveday, standing in front of a doorway.

"Father." She said. Everyone turned around at the sound of her voice. She walked down the steps into the centre.

"Why is there so much hatred in your heart?" Loveday asked Father.

"My daughter." Father said, looking at her sadly. Loveday turned to look at the moon. It was clearly visible from the centre and bigger than I had ever seen it.

"Don't you want to be free of this darkness imprisoning you?" Loveday asked him desperately.

"It is he." Father said, turning around and pointing at Sir Benjamin "It is he who-"

"Father" Loveday said, cutting him off. She took his hand and turned to Sir Benjamin. "Benjamin" she said, holding out her hand. He did not respond, so Loveday grabbed his hand and clasped it with my father's. She took the pearls from Maria and laid them over their clasped hands. The pearls started glowing.

Maria stepped forward. "Look" she said. "The 5000th moon. The curse is coming true. If you can sacrifice your pride, we can save our families. We can save the valley."

"You first" said Sir Benjamin, obviously not trusting my father.

"No, no. After you." My father replied. Maria looked back and forth between the two men, furious. She dropped their hands and held onto the pearls tightly.

"I must do this myself." Maria said, stepping forward. She turned towards the moon, stepping up and climbing onto a ledge in the front of the circle. She looked at the moon for a second, before raising her hand – the one in which she held the pearls.

"At the 5000th moon, I, Maria Meriwether, Moon Princess of Moonacre, do remove the curse that darkens this valley. Take back what is yours!" She said, thrusting out her hand and throwing the pearls to the sea.

The pearls hung in midair for a second before spiralling back towards Maria. She caught them in surprise.

She looked down at them for a moment before ripping apart the chain that held them together. She brought the pearls up to her chest and then thrust them out again. Again the pearls hung in midair, suspended like stars in the sky, and again they spiralled back towards Maria.

This time, instead of Maria catching the pearls, the pearls embedded themselves in her dress. She tried to brush them off, but they wouldn't move. Then she stepped forward again, farther out, onto the tip of the ledge.

Maria turned around, her eyes sad. I didn't understand until it was a moment too late. Maria shot us a sad smile, before turning around again and jumping off the ledge, falling to the sea below.

_**A/N: Chapter 9! Hope you liked it! - xox Sunny**_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Surprise!! 4****th**** chapter in one day!! I couldn't resist posting this one too. Enjoy! - Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_Flaskback_

_Maria turned around, her eyes sad. I didn't understand until it was a moment too late. Maria shot us a sad smile, before turning around again and jumping off the ledge, falling to the sea below._

_End Flaskback_

"Maria!" I screamed, running forward towards the ledge where Maria had been standing a moment before. I tried to throw myself off the ledge after her, desperate to protect and save her. My father pulled me back from the ledge as I fought to get free. I stared at the ocean, desperate for any sign of life or movement.

All of a sudden, a flash of white light lit up the sky, washing over the valley. A tidal wave rose out of the ocean.

As I looked at the wave, horses made of the water seemed to run out of the water, racing to be the first to shore. In the middle of the wave, one horse was winning the race to shore.

I looked at it closer and saw that Maria was on its back. The horse ran closer and closer, even when all of the other horses were swallowed up by the wave.

The wave crashed upon the cliff, and when the spray cleared, the horse stood on the ledge. It wasn't a horse, but a unicorn, and Maria was on its back.

I stood there, terrified, because Maria wasn't moving. She lay across the unicorn's back, lifeless. After what seemed like forever, she stirred and sat up.

"Maria!" I said, relieved. I had been so worried. I thought she was dead, and it had hurt my heart more than I could ever have imagined it could hurt.

Maria's uncle ran to her and helped her off the unicorn. He hugged her tight, talking about how worried he had been. She turned to the unicorn, hugged it and kissed the side of its face. Then she turned, and walked over to me.

"Were you worried Robin?" Maria asked me as she walked up to me, smiling.

"No." I said, turning my face to hide my embarrassment. "Anyone could have done that." I lifted my head and smirked at her.

Loveday came up to me and hit me upside the head, laughing. I smiled and backed away as Loveday turned to Maria and gave her a hug. My father was looking at me with a knowing smile on his face.

"Wipe that smirk off your face Father." I growled at him.

"Whatever you say." He said, his face breaking into a grin.

"You are the true Moon Princess" Loveday said to Maria.

All of a sudden a roar rang out. I turned, and at the top of the stairs, a great black lion stood. Sir Benjamin looked nervous, but Maria just smiled.

"Don't worry uncle. Its only Wrolf." she said. The lion walked down the stairs and joined the unicorn standing on the ledge.

"Loveday, please forgive my stubborn pride" Sir Benjamin said. He turned to my sister and knelt down on one knee."Loveday..."

All of a sudden I heard a noise at the top of the stairs.

"I will finish her now." said one of my father's men.

"No, you fool." my father said, trying to stop him from shooting the gun that he held pointed at Maria. the man was about to shoot when Maria's governess cane up from behind him and hit him over the head with what looked like an umbrella. He was knocked unconscious, and Maria ran to hug her governess.

"Don't worry Maria, I'm here to help you!" Miss Heliotrope said.

"Thank you, but all is well." Maria replied.

I grinned, and my father put his arm across my shoulders.

"You are a lucky guy if a girl like that wants you." My father whispered. Sir Benjamin suddenly pulled my sister into a hug and kissed her.

"Is there to be a wedding?" Miss Heliotrope asked as she looked at the couple, succeeding in completely ruining the moment. Digweed walked over to Miss Heliotrope and took her hand in his.

At that moment, Maria turned to me smiling. I smiled back, and my sister and Maria's uncle laughed. Her uncle said something that I couldn't quite hear - I was too busy looking at Maria. She took a tentative step towards me, and then turned towards the ocean.

Somehow, our hands found their way into each other's, and we stood there, holding hands, and staring at the moon.

_**A/N: Chapter 9! Hope you liked it! **_**This may or may not be the last chapter. Send me your input!  
**_**- xox Sunny**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Summer Vacation!!!! No more school!! I just got my exams back, and I didn't fail!! I actually did really well! Sorry about the late upload, my dad grounded me so I wasn't allowed on the computer. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! - Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_

* * *

_

Flaskback

_Maria __took a tentative step towards me, and then turned towards the ocean. Somehow, our hands found their way into each other's, and we stood there, holding hands, and staring at the moon._

_End Flaskback_

* * *

A few minutes later, we all made out way back into the forest towards Moonacre Manor. My father was talking with Loveday and Sir Benjamin was talking to Maria. I was walking behind them, feeling a little bit awkward, and debating on whether or not to join in on one their conversations.

Suddenly, Maria collapsed. I caught her in my arms as she fell, cradling her small body in my arms. When Sir Benjamin tried to take her from me, I held on tighter. He looked at me and finally nodded tightly. He must have seen how worried I was about her. I carried her through the forest, stopping when we reached the clearing by Moonacre Manor.

My father left with Loveday to go back to the castle in the woods. My father must have finally bent his pride and asked her for forgiveness for kicking her out when she told him that she was in love with Sir. Benjamin.

For some strange reason, I felt a little uneasy about it. In my entire life I had never known Father to be so easily swayed from a decision. I shook the thought from my mind, focusing on Maria. She was lying in my arms unmoving. She was as light as a feather, and felt tiny in my arms.

I carried Maria into the manor and up the stairs. Miss Heliotrope left with Digweed for their respective bedrooms. Sir Benjamin took me to the stairs that led up to Maria's bedroom in the tower and then went into his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him firmly.

I brought Maria up to her room. I had to duck a bit to get through the door – It was tiny. I placed her carefully on her bed, or tried to anyways. She clutched at my shirt and wouldn't let go. I gently pried her hands from my shirt and laid her down on the bed. Just before I left the room, I gently dropped a kiss on her forehead.

As I left her room, I heard Maria murmur my name in her sleep. It pulled at my heart and made me feel like flying. I mentally reminded myself to talk to Loveday the next day and ask her about it.

I walked back to the castle in the forest, and went to my room. I was exhausted, but for some reason, I couldn't sleep. My thoughts were whirling. I closed my eyes, but all I saw was Maria. Smiling and laughing, spitting with anger – her face flushed. No matter what, the images wouldn't leave. Not that I wanted them to. I finally fell asleep, after about an hour or tossing and turning.

I woke up the next morning and walked down to the great hall for breakfast. Father was there, but Loveday was nowhere in sight.

"Father, where is Loveday?" I asked him. "Didn't she come back here last night?"

"She did come back here, but she left a short while after. She said she had to go home, wherever that is." Father replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh. Did she say when she was coming back?" I asked my father. "I have to ask her something."

"No. She didn't." Father replied "What do you need to ask her about?"

"Nothing." I said quickly, not wanting to let my father know about my problem.

"It's about that Meriwether girl isn't it? I saw the way you looked at her." Father said, a gleam in his eyes.

"No. I just wanted to ask her how she knew we were going to be in the amphitheatre." I said quickly.

"Sure." Father said, looking at me suspiciously. I finished breakfast in record time, and ran out of the hall, shouting back to my father over my shoulder that I would be out all day. The first thing I did when I entered the forest was run to Loveday's house and bang on her door.

"Loveday! Loveday! Are you there?" I shouted, thumping on her door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Loveday said, opening the door 'What's the big hurry, little brother?"

I slumped down in one of her chairs. "Loveday, how did you know you were in love with Sir Benjamin?" I asked, lifting my head to look at her. She sat down beside me and took my hand.

"I knew I loved him when I realized that he was all I could think about. He was the only thing that mattered to me. I was willing to give up my home, my life, my family, just to be with him. I didn't care about the consequences or what Father might think – I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him." Loveday said, her face softening and her eyes glowing with love. She shook her head and looked back at me. "Why do you ask, Robin?

"No reason at all." I said quickly, turning my head as I felt my face heat up.

"Really?" Loveday asked a teasing note in her voice "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I said, "I'm sure." I sat there for a while longer before standing up abruptly. I made an excuse to Loveday and nearly bolted from the room. I wandered the forest for a while, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with me. No answer came. I mentally matched up what Loveday said to what I was feeling about Maria.

Was she all I could think about? Yes.

Was she the only thing that mattered to me? This one was harder. I cared about other things than Maria, but they all seemed to pale in comparison to her. Nothing mattered to me as much as she did. I suppose that's a yes then. She is the only thing that matters to me.

Was I willing to give up my home and my family for her? If I could be with Maria, then I wouldn't need my home – not that the castle in the forest ever really felt like a home to me anyways. And Father was never a great dad.

Would I give up my life for her? That one was easy. I had already tried, and I would do it again. I would die for her. I would put my life in danger to save her. I would do anything if it meant keeping her safe.

If I could spend the rest of my life with her, would I care about the consequences? Would I care about what Father would think or do? No. I wouldn't care. If I could be with her, nothing else would matter.

I heard a noise behind me. It was Loveday. She had followed me, worried about me sudden departure.

"You're not coming back anytime soon are you?" Loveday said. Noticing my red face she asked me worriedly if I was alright.

"I'm fine Loveday!" I said. "But I need your help." I quickly recounted my findings to her. She looked at me for a second, taking in my anxious expression, and then burst out laughing.

"Robin. You are in **love** with Maria!" Loveday said, still laughing.

"I am??" I shouted in disbelief.

* * *

**_A/N_****: Chapter 11! Hope you liked it!****This is not the last chapter. I am planning on one or two more chapters and then a sequel! Sorry about the cliffie!  
_- xox Sunny_**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Yay! New chapter! This is one of the last chapters. Sadness. There will be a sequel though! - Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born, so I highly doubt that I am her, or that I own the rights to the book or movie...**

_

* * *

_

Flashback

"_Robin. You are in __**love**__ with Maria!" Loveday said, still laughing.  
"I am??" I shouted in disbelief._

_End Flashback _

* * *

"Typical boys. You fall in love with a girl and don't even know it!" Loveday said, sobering up.

"I am not in love with her! Sure I am having trouble getting her out of my head, but that doesn't mean I love her! Does it?" I asked

"Not on its own, but combined with everything else you just told me, it does! What are you going to do about it?" Loveday said

"I don't know!" I panicked.

"Well, you have to tell her eventually."

"For right now," I said "I think I'm going to focus on getting her not to hate me."

"She doesn't hate you!" Loveday exclaimed. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

"Ok, maybe she did say something about never wanting to see you again," Loveday admitted "But that was before you helped save the valley. Anyways, I saw the way she looked at you last night."

"What way?" I asked, confused. "How did she look at me?"

"Never mind. But believe me, she doesn't hate you. Go and ask her for yourself!" Loveday said.

"But-" I tried to protest

"No buts. Go and talk to Maria! And don't come back until you do!" Loveday ordered firmly. I obeyed grudgingly. I walked slowly away and into the forest. I walked for a while, and as I walked, I thought about what I was going to do.

I have had a crush on Maria since I met her, and have now fallen in love with her too. She's a Meriwether – I'm supposed to hate her, but for some reason, I can't. I couldn't hate her when I met her – believe me, I tried – and I can't even try to ate her now. If I even try to tell Maria this, she'll laugh in my face, or worse, reject me. She hates me! I know she does.

Even as I thought this, a little voice that sounded suspiciously like Loveday's voice whispered in the back of my head "If she hates you, why did she come to you for help? Why did she trust you not to turn her in to your father?" I tried to ignore the voice, but it kept coming back. "What if she doesn't hate you? What if she feels the same way about you as you do about her?"

"That's not possible. She's a Meriwether – she's been raised to hate the Du Noir's!" I retorted to the voice in my head.

"So? You were trained to hate the Meriwethers too, weren't you? And you still fell in love with her!'

"That doesn't matter. I've done nothing but try to capture her and kill her." I exclaimed.

"You helped her too. You made up for all the times you didn't help her by saving her from your father and helping her to find the moon pearls. She held your hand. She knew you were worried about her."

"SO?" I questioned, not realising that I was actually speaking aloud until I heard a voice behind me.

"Talking to yourself, Robin?" Maria said laughingly. I had somehow managed to find my way to Moonacre Manor while I was arguing with the voice in my head. Maria had been walking on the grounds when she saw me in the shadow of the trees.

"No. Well, yes, but I have a good reason!"

"Yeah? What is it? Are you going crazy?" Maria laughed

"What, no? Well, kinda. Well... urgh! Loveday was right!" I groaned, sitting down by the roots of one of the trees and putting my head in my hands.

"About what?" Maria asked, sitting down beside me.

"Nothing." I replied, looking up and shaking my head. There was no way I was going to tell her about the conversation Loveday and I had had earlier.

"Ok." Maria said. We sat there for a while in silence until I suddenly felt Maria's arms wrap around me. "Thank you Robin." She said, pressing her face into my shoulder.

"For what?" I asked her, confused.

"Last night." Maria said, pulling back and looking at me in surprise. "Uncle told me about how I collapsed on the way back to the manor, and about how you caught me and carried me to my room. Thank you."

"Oh. Yeah, right. It's no problem. I couldn't very well leave you on the forest floor."

"If you were anything like your father, you could have done much worse than that." She said.

"Yeah. About my father, I'm sorry. I should have tried harder-"

"Stop." Maria said. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything else. You helped me, even though your father would disapprove."

"My father tried to kill you and you aren't angry with me?" I said, staring at her in disbelief.

"You are not your father." Maria stated. She looked at me. "You helped me, even though you had been brought up to hate the Meriwethers. Thank you."

"You mean, you don't hate me?"

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?" said Maria.

"I may have helped you in the end, but in the beginning, I was helping my father try to capture you." I said to Maria, looking down at the ground. "I went to your father's funeral in London to try and kidnap you. I tried to capture you in your carriage while you were on your way to Moonacre. I attempted to capture you when you went into the forest that first time, and again the next time. I actually succeeded. I put you in the dungeon! You escaped, and I chased you through the forest. That is certainly enough to justify you hating me."

"No. It isn't. You only did that because your father told you too. When I asked you to help me, you did. You showed me the way through the forest." Maria exclaimed "You could have given me to your father to kill but instead, you protected me from him and helped me find the pearls. You disobeyed your father to help me, even though you knew that he would be furious. How could I ever hate you?"

"I... I'm sorry. About my father."

"It's not your fault." She said. "You're not responsible for your father's actions – he is."

"So, does this mean we're friends?" I asked, looking at Maria. She looked back at me, tilting her head. I was beginning to regret what I said and ask her to ignore what I had said when Maria spoke.

"Yeah it does."

_**

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**_

A/N

**: Chapter 12! Hope you liked it!****Like I said, this is one of the last chapters, but I am planning on writing a sequel!  
**_**- xox Sunny**_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: At last! A new chapter! Unfortunatly, this is the last chapter. Sadness. The sequel will be out soon though! - Xox Sunny**

**Discalimer: Elizabeth Goudge died in 1984, 10 years before I was even born. I do not own the rights to the book or movie.**

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Flashback

"_So, does this mean we're friends?" I asked, looking at Maria._

"_Yeah it does."_

_End Flashback _

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Maria and I hung out all day. We talked and laughed and had tons of fun, but there was still something nagging at me. Sure, Maria and I were friends, but I was still in love with her. Every minute with her, I hid my true feelings. I knew she didn't hate me, but she sure as hell couldn't love me. Could she? "No. Don't even think about it" I berated myself "You're friends, isn't that enough?"

"What was that?" Maria said opening her eyes and looking at me with her head tilted.

"Nothing." I said, shaking my head.

"Are you sure? You seem a little uncomfortable. Is something bothering you?" Maria asked worriedly. Damn her and her perceptiveness.

"No. Nothing. Everything's fine. Don't worry about me." I stuttered.

"Sure." Maria said with a knowing look. "When you're ready to tell me, I'll be waiting." With those final words, Maria left, waving over her shoulder as she ran across the yard towards the manor. I repeat, damn her and her perceptiveness.

I considered going back to visit Loveday again, but then I remember what she told me. _"Don't come back until you've told her how you feel."_ Yeah, so not the time to tell her. Visiting Loveday was out, so I just went back to the castle. I was too late for dinner, so I just grabbed some food from the kitchens.

I went to my room and fell asleep. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went for a walk outside. I wandered through the woods, thinking. As I walked I thought about Maria, as usual. I kept thinking how glad I was at being friends with her, and her not hating me, but also how uncomfortable I felt keeping such a huge secret from her. I finally came to the conclusion that, even if it ruined our friendship, I had to tell her. I couldn't go back to the castle, so I went to Loveday.

"Loveday!" I shouted, banging on her door.

"Robin? Why are you here? It's the middle of the night for God's sake!" Loveday said, finally coming to the door. She rubbed her eyes. "Did you tell Maria?"

"I'm doing it now! How do I get into the castle without Sir Benjamin or anyone else seeing me? More specifically, into Maria's room?" I asked her desperately. I wanted to get the confession over with before I lost my nerve to tell her. I walked into the room and started pacing. Loveday caught my arm and led me to one of her chairs. I sat down, and Loveday sat down in a chair opposite me.

"Go in the passage around the back of the manor. It's behind the statue in the arch by the fountain. The passage will take you up the tower by secret stairs." Loveday said, beaming at me. "When you reach the top of the stairs, pull the lever shaped like a horse's head. The lever will open a door in the wall. The door is a bit small, so you might have to duck your head. To get back out without being seen, pull the lever shaped like a horse's head by the fireplace. The same door will open." Loveday stood up and gave me a hug. "Good luck" she whispered in my ear before letting me go.

"Thank you!" I said before turning and running out the door and towards the manor. I ran, pushing through the trees and the bushes. I reached the manor grounds, but didn't stop running. I turned the corner and slowed, searching for the fountain. I finally found it – it was shaped like a horse, with water escaping and pouring in a waterfall around its feet like the sea. I turned around and found the statue. The statue was of the first Moon Princess, holding her hand out towards the fountain.

I slid behind the statue o find a small, hidden doorway. I pushed open the door and found myself in a stairwell. I climbed the stairs, carefully so as not to make much noise. There were no windows in the stairs, by there were a few candles to light the way. I reached the top of the stairs and found the horse's head. I was about to turn around and run away, but I forced myself to pull the horse's head. The door swung open.

I stepped into Maria's room, ducking my head to fit through the small doorway. I looked at Maria's bed, expecting her to be lying in bed asleep. Instead, she was sitting up, looking at the door where I was standing.

"Robin?" She asked incredulously. I flushed, but walked over to her bed. She threw off the covers and grabbed her bathrobe, pulling it on as she stood up.

"Yes, it's me." I said.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!" She exclaimed.

"I know. Remember earlier when you thought I had something to tell you?" I asked her. She nodded. "Well, it's true. I do have to tell you something, but not here. Come with me." I said, grabbing her hand. I pulled the horse's head lever by the fireplace and stood back as the door swung open. I pulled Maria through the door and down the stairs. I ran towards the forest, and Maria followed me. We reached the tree that we had been talking under earlier. I slid to the ground, pulling Maria down with me.

"Robin!" she squealed, yelping with laughter. "Just tell me already! I'm dying to know what was so important that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night. How did you even get into my room, anyways?"

"Loveday told me how to get up to your room. But that's not important. I have something to tell you. Something important, but I have no clue how to do it."

"Do it quick, like ripping off a bandage." Maria suggested, her eyes dancing with laughter.

"Fine. Maria. ..." I mumbled something unintelligible.

"Robin, I couldn't understand a word you just said. How about you do it a little bit slower?"

"Maria. I know that this could, and most probably will, ruin our friendship, but I still want to tell you because I can't bear to lie to you. I'm in love with you."

"What?"

"I love you. I have ever since I first saw you, even if I only just figured it out. You are beautiful and amazing, and I know you could never love me, because we just finally became friends and not enemies. I'm happier than I ever have been at just being friends with you, and that's fine with me. I don't expect you to love me back - I just wanted you to know how I feel about you." I said, looking at the ground. When I finished, there was silence. Maria just sat there, saying nothing. "You know what? Never mind. Just forget I said anything. We can go back to being just friends. I'll never mention how I feel again, and-"

"Is that really what you want?" Maria asked me. I finally looked up at her and my heart sank at the look in her eyes. She looked heart-broken, as if just the idea of me being in love with her was enough to make her burst into tears.

"No, of course not, but I'll do it. I know I'm nowhere near good enough for you, and that I will never be. You deserve better." I reassured her, rushing to explain.

"No. No, I don't." Maria said suddenly. "You are exactly what I deserve. And exactly what I need." As soon as she said that, my heart started beating faster and I felt myself starting to hope for something that I had not allowed myself to entertain the possibility of.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I mean that I love you. I've loved you ever since you helped me find the pearls. Ever since you risked everything to help me, even though you knew what your father would do. I was your enemy but you helped me, and I loved you for it. I was so glad when we became friends – it gave me an excuse to be near you." Maria said. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. I turned my head and kissed her softly.

When we pulled apart, I whispered in her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered. I smiled. I loved the feeling those words gave me. I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. The girl I loved was in love with me too!

"Maria."

"Yes Robin?"

"Marry me." I whispered in her ear.

"What? We're way too young to get married!" Maria said, jerking away from me.

"I know that!" I said, pulling Maria back into my arms.. "But promise me that when we _are_ old enough to get married, that you will marry me. Please."

"Yes. I think I will." Maria said, leaning in and kissing me again. "When we're older."

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A/N

**: Chapter 13! Hope you liked it! ****T****he sequel will be out soon! In the meantime, keep a look out for my new fanfiction. It's a fanfiction for the Agent Angel series, also known as the Angels Unlimited series, by Annie Dalton. **_**- xox Sunny**_


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